When you’re just starting a jewelry collection, while you may be primarily basing your jewelry collection around your fashion taste and style, you also want to keep in mind how well top jewelry brands hold their value over time. After all, if you plan to pass your jewelry collection down through your family’s generations, or if you intend to one day potentially sell your jewelry in order to trade up to a finer piece, you want something that’s going to hold its value and still be worth as much as what you paid, or preferably more.
Some jewelry brands are known for holding their value better than others. Over the years, we here at La Maison Yamron have observed the changing jewelry trends. Based on our experiences, we can safely assure our shoppers that the below brands will most likely continue to hold their value over the years, making a jewelry piece from any of them a worthy investment.
1. Bvlgari
Bulgari is absolutely a jewelry brand that holds its value well. The Italian jeweler is one of the most well known in the world and you’ll spot the brand gracing the necks and wrists of many a celebrity. The brand is known for high style and even higher value — and it’s remained thus for more than a century.
If you’re wanting to purchase a Bulgari piece that’s going to retain its value best, you’ll want to look for pieces that are either considered classic jewelry (what you’ll normally find from any luxury jeweler) or high jewelry. High jewelry is often sold at auction and can go for extremely high prices.
Popular, well-known Bulgari collections to keep your eyes open for include the Monete collection, the Serpenti collection and the B. ZeroI collection. All are safe picks for investment, but also very fashionable. Both vintage and modern Bulgari pieces are likewise smart picks for investment.
2. Piranesi
The Piranesi brand was established in 1845 and is also a luxury Italian jewelry brand, similar to Bulgari. Its collections are known for incorporating precious colored stones, including rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds, to create classic yet bold pieces that never go out of style. This dedication to classic, timeless designs is one of the factors that makes the Piranesi brand a safe investment. Unlike some brands that create haute couture pieces that will only remain fashionable for a year or two at most, Piranesi creates jewelry that is gorgeous whether you’re shopping now or five decades into the future.
To give you an idea of the kind of worth we’re talking about? In 2018, a Piranesi display in an Aspen showroom was raided and while the thieves only made off with a ring, a necklace and a pair of earrings, the total worth of the diamond-encased jewelry was about $800,000.
3. Roberto Coin
A bit of a newer Italian brand, Roberto Coin was founded in Vicenza in the late 20th century, but already, Coin and the brand has been called one of the best of contemporary designers.
There’s certainly something to be said for contemporary design, after all. While well-known brands that have been around for a century or more can fetch high prices, often it’s not that the price has anything to do with the actual worth of a piece of jewelry, at least not completely. Instead, that price is tied to branding and the name, primarily.
Additionally, when you purchase from long-standing, large jewelry brands that are considered high-volume producers, you run the risk of a poor resale value — because after all, when something’s not necessarily rare, it may not necessarily be very valuable in the long run.
Both of these are good reasons to look at contemporary designers for your next jewelry investment.
4. Seaman Schepps
An American jewelry name founded in the early 1900s, Seaman Schepps offers truly one-of-a-kind jewelry. That’s because the brand is known for incorporating unusual materials that you won’t find in pieces from some of the more well-known, mass market designers. Think wood and shell, right alongside precious stones and metals.
Maybe it was this uniqueness that drew the eyes of some of the 1940s and 1950s’ most influential women, from Katherine Hepburn to Elizabeth Taylor to the women of some of the era’s most influential families, including the Roosevelts, Kennedys and Vanderbilts. If you’re able to snag some of this brand’s vintage pieces, you’ll be absolutely set in terms of a smart investment piece.
5. Vhernier
Just one look at any Vhernier piece and it’s easy to see just how well the brand encapsulates a love for sleek architecture and modern lines and shapes. While the style isn’t for every woman, it is certainly luxurious and stylish, which is reflected in the way the brand’s pieces hold their value over time.
What To Look For When Purchasing a Piece of Jewelry as An Investment
Beyond exploring the above five brands when shopping for a jewelry investment, there are a few other things you can take into consideration, in order to make the smartest financial investment possible.
Firstly, take a look at brands that have been around for a while. As mentioned above, many jewelry brands fetch high prices based on primarily the brand itself, not necessarily the worth of the actual jewels and metals used in the piece. Certain pieces from brands such as Chanel and Cartier may not be terribly worth much from a materials standpoint, but they are valuable in terms of brand power, as well as scarcity.
Beyond brands, though, it is somewhat important to consider the materials. After all, even if you’re buying a piece without any strong brand power, you can receive a satisfactory price on your appreciated jewelry if it’s made from a precious metal or stone that’s likewise appreciated in price over the years. Gold, for example, tends to appreciate over time rather reliably.
Of course, it’s important to take inflation into account when you purchase a piece of jewelry as an investment, especially if you intend to hold on to your jewelry for a very long time. Just look at the Cartier Love bracelet that’s so well known. In the 1970s, it sold for a few hundred dollars. Today, it sells for thousands.
Overall, though, looking at current trends, in 2020, the top fine jewelry brand per resale value, according to national jewelry publications, was Van Cleef & Arpels. Other brands that followed closely behind included Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Chanel.
Make a Smart Decision
with Your Next Jewelry Purchase
Whatever kind of jewelry you’re shopping for, if you care about the value of a piece and how it changes over time, look at your purchase as not just a wonderful luxury item to enjoy on your own, but also as an investment. If you do so, you can rest easy knowing that your jewelry will be an asset over the years and something of great worth and value that you can pass along to your loved ones, even if you never decide to sell a piece.
At Yamron, we’re here to help you ensure that your jewelry purchases are not simply a luxury indulgence, but a smart investment that will last a lifetime. Connect with one of our Naples showroom consultants and let’s talk about your next jewelry purchase.
